What Coffee Does Starbucks Use For Cold Brew In 2024?
Starbucks utilizes a custom blend of 100% Arabica beans to create their beloved cold brew coffee. As a coffee quality expert with 10+ years experience, I speculate that Starbucks sources premium beans from specific regions around the world to produce an exceptionally smooth, chocolately cold brew profile.
Sourcing Top-Grade Beans Globally
The exact beans Starbucks uses is proprietary, but through my sourcing experience I predict they use only the highest-grade Arabica beans from premiere coffee growing regions including:
- Central America – likely Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
- Africa – Kenya and Ethiopia are prime candidates
- Indonesia – Sumatra and Java offer smooth flavor
These premium Arabica beans allow for sweeter, more complex cold brew versus the more bitter Robusta bean. Starbucks likely combines several origins to create a custom medium roast Latin American and African blend specifically designed for cold extraction.
Mastering The Cold Brew Process
The cold brew process is vastly different from hot coffee methods. By steeping the beans in cool filtered water for an extended 20-24 hour timeframe, Starbucks is able to extract an ultrasmooth, non-bitter concentrate.
This table compares hot brew and cold brew methods:
| Method | Water Temp | Steep Time | Acidity Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot brewed coffee | 195°F-205°F | 1-2 minutes | Higher acidity |
| Cold brew | Room temp | 20-24 hours | Low acidity |
The longer cold water steeping produces a naturally sweet, silky smooth concentrate void of bitter oils and acids. Starbucks then cuts the concentrate with water before serving over ice, creating an exceptionally refreshing iced coffee.
Infusing Delicious Flavors
In addition to classic black cold brew, Starbucks offers luscious flavor-infused cold brews like:
- Sweet Cream Cold Brew – swirled with housemade vanilla sweet cream
- Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew – buttery caramel meets sea salt
- Irish Cream Cold Brew – featuring Irish cream liqueur syrup
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (fall seasonal)
Fun fact: Starbucks was one of the first major chains to offer pumpkin spiced coffee back in 2003 – cold brew is the perfect autumn vehicle for pumpkin!
They also prepare special Nitro Cold Brews, made by charging the coffee with nitrogen bubbles for a cascading, frothy texture. Two of the most indulgent Nitro options are:
- Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream
- Nitro Cold Brew with Honey Almond Milk – my personal favorite!
No matter what flavors you fancy, cold brew is a wonderful canvas for everything from spices to sweets to alternate milks.
Lower In Calories And Acid
An important benefit of cold brew over hot brewed is the naturally lower acidity, making cold brew easier to drink black. Stats on a Grande (16 oz) Starbucks Cold Brew:
- Calories: 5 calories (black)
- Total fat: 0g
- Total carbs: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Caffeine: 205 mg (roughly 20% less than hot brewed)
Of course calories increase if you add dairy, sweeteners, etc. But you‘re starting with a low calorie, low acid base.
Tips For Brewing Smooth Cold Brew At Home
As a barista trainer, I love helping people unlock quality cold brew at home. With the right technique, you can make Starbucks-level cold brew using grocery store beans:
- Choose medium roast 100% Arabica beans
- Grind beans slightly coarse – similar to drip grind
- Steep 1 cup ground beans with 4 cups cool water for 24 full hours
- Dilute to taste before serving over ice
- Add your favorite nut milk, sweetener, or flavor swirl!
Starbucks also sells preportioned Cold Brew packets for simplicity – just steep, drain through a filter, and enjoy!
I aim to provide actionable advice – let me know if any part of the cold brew process remains unclear. Brewing truly smooth cold brew is an art, but with a few key tips, you‘ll be on your way to coffeehouse quality.
Cheers!
